Alone
by Simplybofa
Summary: Rachel Berry doesn't want to be alone on New Years. F/R TWO SHOT WITH EPILOGUE
1. Chapter 1

**You know what they say, something about never dialing when you're emotional, or something like that, anyway…**

**Chapter One**

Rachel sat curled in a little ball, her zebra print snuggie covering every portion of her aside from her long face. The TV glow bounced off of the walls around her, reflecting in the darkness onto her face. She felt completely alone.

The announcer on the television was saying something about the new decade. "Out with the old and in with the new." Rachel sighed.

Jennifer Lopez was wearing some kind of ungodly fur blanket over a sparkly leotard… 'Right, and I'm the unreasonable one.' She drew the snuggie closer to her chin and sunk into the plush couch.

The clock on the mantle read 11:57. It's hands ticked by sluggishly, making her antsy. She ran a hand through her hair, which hung limply from her face.

Her dads were out, due to her ushering. She had pushed them to take a night for themselves. They deserved it. So why was she beginning to regret her urgency? The dark house groaned around her and the burnt popcorn sat untouched on the coffee table, giving off a lonely stare. She felt unnerved by the entire situation.

She needed to talk to someone. An actual person. Dick didn't count.

The phone sat like a beacon on the arm rest. She shivered, averting her gaze from it. Just because she was feeling particularly vulnerable and sorry for herself didn't mean that she had any right to unload her baggage onto someone else…

"People are eagerly waiting for the new year, folks and I've got to say, Times Square has never buzzed louder." A commentator speculated. "Everyone's excited!"

Rachel rolled her eyes.

The entire ordeal of New Year's seemed like some farce to her. The resolutions, the count down, the kissing…

It, frankly, tired her, and -again- she wished someone was with her to pick her up. Figuratively. She suppressed her urge to seize the telephone and dial a certain number. She already had it memorized. Again, she felt completely barren. But she couldn't bring herself to pick up and dial.

So she wrapped her arms tighter around herself and waited. 11:59.

'Okay, so it's almost 2010.' She thought. 'I'm probably the only one on the planet who is alone right now. Great' She knew she had the tendency to over-react, but that was beside the point because- at the moment- she did feel like the only single soul in the universe. Once again, a shudder crept over her.

'I guess I could call Finn.' Rachel thought. 'He's probably with his mom…' She reached for the phone and pressed a button, making it come to life. 'But he could also be at some party.'

And with the single image of Finn sitting with his jocks and other fellows, she threw the phone down into her lap, letting the dial tone echo out defeat as the people counted down on the television screen.

"Sixteen, fifteen, fourteen, thirteen, twelve," The entire body of Time's Square shouted. She laid her head back on the couch cushion and closed her eyes, listening to the glee in their voices. "nine, eight, seven, six,".

She breathed in, taking in the smell of her house -cinnamon and pine left over from Christmas- and held the breath, waiting for the words…

"Three, two, one!" She squeezed her eyes shut. "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" The TV bellowed, surround sound intensifying her experience as a third party bystander.

She didn't want to do this. She didn't want to usher in the new era alone…

"Love is in the air, folks. Friends, partners, strangers, everyone's kissing and sharing excitement for the new year!" The announcer chortled as the camera zoomed in on a couple kissing passionately.

Rachel looked away from the screen, disgusted. The phone still called out a busy dial tone, keying her up. Suddenly desperate to make the noise stop, she pressed power off and thrust it back into position in her lap.

"This sucks." She scoffed.

Breaking the silence, the phone rang, making her jump. She stared at it for a minute, listening to the foreign sound of ring as apposed to a busy signal before realizing that she should probably answer it.

"Hello?" She spoke into the receiver, annoyed at the uncertainty in her voice.

"Rachel?" The voice on the other end asked in surprise. She knew that voice.

"Finn?"

"You actually answered!" He exhaled.

"Are you surprised?" She tucked a lock of hair behind her ear self-consciously, nervous even when she wasn't in his presence, a whole four streets away from him.

"Well, I've been trying to call for a while and I was about to give up." He explained. It took her a second to realize that she had left the phone off the hook and then, embarrassedly, told him so.

"Oh, it's no big deal. I just figured you might not want to be alone on New Years." He sounded kind of nervous, too, Rachel noted. The couple on the screen was still kissing and, distracted, she had to pull herself back to the conversation.

"What do you mean?" She asked, listening for a reply.

It was silent for a while.

Then, in the few seconds it took her to raise herself into a sitting position, she heard a knock on her door.

Her heart leapt.

**Chapter Two -filled with much more Finn Rachel goodness- will be uploaded at a more Godly hour today. Let me know how you liked it and happy New Year!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter Two**

It was still cold. But Rachel didn't mind so much. Of course Finn gave her a hard time about her snuggie, but she couldn't bring herself to care.

"I brought over a scary movie. Figured you wouldn't have anything else to do…" Finn always explained himself, even if an explanation wasn't needed. Rachel found the quirk endearing.

Rachel Berry wouldn't admit to weakness, but the truth was actually the opposite of the image she portrayed. Shadows often made her jittery and unexplained sounds tended to freak her out. Being alone hadn't helped, but Finn was there with her now. She smiled as she took the DVD from the gawky teen.

"So… What made you decide to come over?" She hedged, pushing for more information. She turned her back to Finn as she asked embarrassed by her own abrasive obtrusiveness.

"The movie's called What Lies Beneath. It's kind of old, but my mom told me it's some kind of classic." Finn rubbed the back of his head awkwardly, avoiding the question as he sat down on the couch.

'So like Finn…' Rachel thought.

Her heart was beating erratically in her chest. It made her want to sing, or squeal. Neither seemed appropriate so she just bit the inside of her cheek, gnawing at the tissue there. Her fingers twitched restlessly as she stared at the screen.

She kept to her position standing in front of the television. In part because their DVD remote had gone missing last week. She didn't want to admit it to herself, but she was also too nervous to sit down.

"Rachel…" Finn startled her out of her reverie.

She blinked, staring at the blue television screen. For some reason, the previews wouldn't start; it was as if the video was frozen. She feigned contemplation and used the moment to regain her composure. Blush tinged her cheeks and despite its usually warming effect, drove her to a shiver. She swallowed and turned to face him.

"I know me being here might seem a little weird." He hedged, glazing the true mood of the atmosphere over with simplicity. "It's just…" He paused.

Rachel's brow furrowed. This was the part of the conversation where Finn usually told her she was acting like a creeper, or that he needed some advice about how to deal with being around Quinn or Puck. It was also usually the moment her hopes drooped back into the puddle that seemed to be collecting in the bottom of her stomach. She hated this part.

So she stepped in.

"I don't know why you're here…" She strode to his side in true Rachel Berry fashion and sat gracefully on the cushion beside him. "But it's New Years. Don't take this the wrong way, but you're all I've got right now." She paused, swallowing her pride and weighing her many assumptions.

"I'm sure you have better things to do and you'd probably rather be with one of the guys on the team or girls on the squad who still talk to you… But let's just watch the movie."

With a definitive air, she stood and walked over to the DVD player again, trying earnestly to make the movie work. The silence was heavy and she could just envision Finn with a foot out the door, frightened away again by her abrupt derision.

She pressed the play button for a third time, the click resounding off of the walls. Finn's silence made her want to cringe and she looked down at herself, snuggie hanging loosely from the crooks of her arms, and fought the urge to cry.

She pressed the button again, more forcefully. The blue screen mocked her and she wished that she had at least turned on a lamp. The darkness was creeping in around her.

Her left cheek muscle twitched and she tried again to press the play button. In anger, she jabbed her finger repeatedly on the button, moving to others like stop and fast-forward after a while.

"Stupid thing," She grunted. "won't work."

The clicking churned in her ears.

"Rachel…" Finn tried from the couch. The uncertainty in his voice made her want to hurl. She was making a fool of herself. Again.

She _just_ didn't want to be alone.

"I think I've almost got it." She tried, silently urging him to stay on her couch. To stay with her. She pressed the eject button, growing panicky.

"Rachel," Finn quietly soothed in her ear, laying a hand over hers and stilling it's movement. She looked up at him in suprise, her lip involuntarily quivering.

"I came because I didn't want to be alone." He said, moving her hand down to her side and placing a calming one on her neck. "I was too embarrassed to admit it." He shrugged.

And, in true Rachel Berry fashion, Rachel stood on her tiptoes, blue TV light outlining her silhouette, and placed a kiss on Finn's cheek.

"I just want you to stay…" She admitted, looking up at him.

"Good." He smiled down at her, brushing the hair off of her shoulder. "Because this is kind of where I want to be."

**Well, this is the last chapter. I will be posting an epilogue, though, very shortly. I've really gotten into those lately.**

**If you like this story feel free to check out my others. I've also written a Kurt/Puck story and am planning a few involving Quinn, Quinn/Puck, Puck/Rachel, and probably another Puck/Kurt.**

**Review if you liked it or if you didn't like it. Thank's so much for reading!**

**Simplybofa**


	3. Chapter 3

**Epilogue**

"Rachel…" Finns voice slid lazily through Rachel's upturned ear.

Her eyes didn't want to open. She sunk further, feeling her snuggie draw in around her as a hand slid to tuck her into it. Her heart warmed.

"I guess you don't have to wake up." Finn slid a little lower under her. She guessed, given his height, he wasn't extremely comfortable sitting on the couch with her laying on his lap. It couldn't allow for very easy back positioning.

She was awake now. Very awake.

On screen, a girl was screaming, her voice quaking and sobbing. Rachel smiled. He was still watching.

Of course he was… She sighed, savoring the few seconds left of her bliss. She knew it was almost time.

His hand ran over her hair, fingers weaving through the ends. Her toes curled.

"What time is it?" She whispered.

"Eleven fifty-seven." He told her, his chest rumbling. "How was your nap?" He joked, lightly poking his finger into her side.

"How was your movie?" She countered, sitting up and laying her head on his shoulder.

"Good. Same as always." He smiled, wrapping an arm around her waist. "This girl's about to get her head chopped off." And, true to his words, Rachel watched with mild interest as the blonde girl's hair was seized by the killer, his knife gliding messily into her neck.

"Good to know I haven't missed much." She chuckled. He laughed, too, as the killer stalked off screen.

"So it's eleven fifty-seven?" She asked him again, not wanting to miss it. They never missed it. Finn looked down at his watch.

"Eleven fifty-eight." He informed her. "Wait," He paused, remaining silent for a few seconds. "eleven fifty-nine." He smiled down at her.

Her stomach always flipped when he smiled at her. Rachel couldn't explain it. She figured that after all this time she would be used to Finn's sweet, innocent smile. But she never was.

The dark living room seemed to expand to fit her excitement. Another new year.

Finn paused the horror movie. The house was quiet, a green forest on screen illuminating their faces. She looked at him as he lowered his gaze back to his watch, only to turn it upon her a single second later.

"Happy New Year, Rach." He said, lowering his face to her level, his nose glancing off of the tip of hers. She breathed in.

"Happy New Year." She whispered, pressing her lips to his, closing the distance between them.

**This epilogue is the final addition to this little holiday fic. Rachel and Finn always seem so sweet and innocent to me. I tried to give them an honest love. **

**If it wasn't obvious, this is -like most epilogues- set in the future.**

**Please let me know what you thought. Thanks for reading and remember to check out my other stories!**

**-Simplybofa**


End file.
